Vanessa Antwort
Vanessa Antwort is a minor antagonist in the 07-Ghost series. She was a princess of Antwort who was married to King Weldeschtein Krom Raggs for political reasons, making her Teito Klein's stepmother and one of Ayanami's sisters-in-law. She was the Pope's accomplice in his plans to bring about Verloren's revival, albeit unintentionally. Etymology 'Vanessa' means 'butterfly' in Greek, and 'of Venus' in Latin. Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility and desire. Venus's Greek counterpart is Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. 'Antwort' means 'answer' in German. Appearance Physical appearance Vanessa had an average height, a slim build, long, light-coloured hair done in an elaborate hairstyle that somewhat resembled a one-winged butterfly, a large bust, and large eyes. She wore lipstick. As she was a royal, she probably had pale skin. Clothing As a queen, she was always shown wearing long, formal gowns. Like Krom, she did not appear to wear a crown. Personality Vanessa's personality is rather similar to her father's. She places a great deal of importance on social status, as she looked down on Millea for being a commoner and a concubine. She was also bitter, bearing a grudge against Millea and Tiashe, and can be considered cruel, as she was willing to sacrifice an innocent child to achieve her own goals. Ayanami once described her as 'a woman with a very violent temperament'. Vanessa was shown to be a jealous and possessive woman, unwilling to accept Krom's love for Millea and Tiashe. Relationships Family Weldeschtein Krom Raggs: Although their marriage was arranged, Vanessa truly loved Krom and was rather possessive of him. However, although he was kind to her, he did not truly love her as he did his concubine, Millea. Vanessa knew this and was almost driven to insanity as a result. Teito Klein Vanessa hated Tiashe, because she knew Krom was reminded of Millea whenever he saw Tiashe. However, she may have felt remorse for putting a sklave mark on Tiashe's body, as she eventually confessed to Krom that she had given Tiashe to the Pope, who cheated Vanessa that her sin would be forgiven if she handed Tiashe to him. Fea Kreuz: Vanessa and her brother-in-law Kreuz did not interact much. His attitude towards her was formal and polite (on the surface), addressing her with the formal title 'Ouhi' (Japanese for 'Queen'), but he was not afraid to voice his opinions when he suspected Vanessa was guilty of something. Before the Raggs War broke out, Krom put Teito in the custody of Kreuz to keep Teito safe and away from Vanessa. It is possible that in truth Kreuz did not really like her, since he loved Teito very much and knew that Vanessa hated his nephew, dangerously. It is unclear if Vanessa knew that Kreuz was her brother-in-law. Ayanami: '''Vanessa has never been shown directly interacting with her other brother-in-law, Ayanami, but he apparently knew about her, as he once talked to her father, and has mentioned her to Hyuuga. '''Parents: Vanessa's relationship with her parents has not been shown. So far it is only known that King Antwort gave Vanessa's hand in marriage to Weldeschtein Krom Raggs for political reasons. Considering that Antwort eventually seceded from its alliance with Raggs and stole Pandora's Box from Raggs, it is possible that, unlike his daughter, King Antwort did not like or respect Krom and Antwort's alliance with Raggs. Vanessa's mother has not appeared in the series so far, and nothing is known about Vanessa's relationship with her. However, Vanessa can be considered as spoiled, since she needs others to change in order to cater to her instead of she changing herself or her plans to cater to others. In light of that, it is likely that either her parents have been indulgent of her, often yielding to her wishes, or they have been neglectful of her, so she grew up possessive and inconsiderate. Others Millea Klein: Vanessa was bitterly jealous of, and hated, Millea for having Krom's love. She did not respect Millea due to the latter's commoner status, and always referred to Millea as 'mistress', 'that mistress' or 'that woman' instead of using Millea's name. It is unknown how Millea felt towards Vanessa. In a long dream that Millea had, in which people she (Millea) once knew greeted her and informed her that Teito is still among the living, Vanessa was not seen. 'The Pope: '''Vanessa appeared to respect and trust the Pope. When he told her that her sins would be forgiven if she handed her stepson Teito over to him, she believed him. Together with the Pope, she killed another child and deceived everyone that Teito was dead. However, unbeknownst to Vanessa, the Pope had his own plans for Teito, and it is likely that she was unaware of the Pope's intentions to revive Verloren. History Early childhood Little is known about Vanessa's early years. She is the only child of King Antwort and an unknown mother. Adulthood Through marrying King Weldeschtein Krom Raggs, she became the Queen of Raggs. Although it was a political marriage arranged to ally the Raggs and Antwort kingdoms, she truly loved King Krom. (manga chapter 68) She was maddened by the fact that King Krom could never love her in the way he loved his concubine Millea Klein and his son Tiashe. In a fit of jealous rage against Tiashe, Vanessa kidnapped him and branded him as a slave, but once after she put a sklave's mark on Tiashe, she seemed to come back to her senses, as she screamed 'No! What have I done!'. When the Pope told her that the sin she committed could be forgiven if she handed Tiashe to him, she listened to him and did what the Pope suggested her to do, i.e handing Tiashe over to him. She felt guilty about her actions, as she broke down and admitted what she'd done after Fea Kreuz and Krom asked her if she knew anything about where Tiashe was. What happened to her afterward was not shown, but it is presumed that she died during the Raggs War, as she was neither seen nor mentioned during the Antwort War, and has not appeared again since the flashback in Kapitel 68. Also, the Raggs War was a genocide of the inhabitants of Raggs, further hinting that is likely she died during the Raggs War. Appearances Quotes *"I feel like sadness is tearing my chest apart..."In Kapitel 68, Vanessa says "悲しみで私の胸は張り裂けそうですわ". *'You treasure me very much. Just like how you treasure everyone equally, you treasure me as well. But...no matter how affectionately you look at me, even if you gathered a million of such gazes, it can never match that one gaze you give that child born from that mistress!' (to Weldeschtein Krom Raggs) *'That's why...I gave that child...to the Pope...' (confessing to Krom) *'If only you had never been born... I would still be loved!' (to Tiashe) Trivia *Some 07-Ghost fans in Japan call her "正妃" (''seihi) (lit. lawful wife). *A fan in Japan has said that Vanessa reminded her of the jade, in the sense that the jade is delicate and if one drops it against the floor, it can become pieces. *Some fans think that Vanessa's hair style looks like a one-winged butterfly. This could be a reference to her name, as 'Vanessa' means 'butterfly' in Greek. *Vanessa's words, "only that woman can give him an heir, while I cannot" in manga chapter 35 are ambiguous. It may mean that she is unable to bear children. *Some fans suspect that she may have been manipulated by the Shadow Man like the Pope and Emperor Wolfram, since she remembered someone said to her that 'if he (Tiashe) makes you so sad, kill him'. References Site Navigation Category:Characters Category:Female Category:Minor characters Category:Antagonists Category:Human Category:Royalty Category:Deceased Category:Flashback characters Category:Parents